Awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, "Fahrenheit 9/11"
is Oscar-winning filmmaker/populist gadfly Michael Moore's incendiary
documentary that questions the legitimacy and competence of President George
W. Bush, the machinations behind America's war on terrorism, and the validity
of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This broadside from Moore, maker of the
anti-gun violence film "Bowling for Columbine," is a thundering salvo of
political insights, public outrage, personal pain and disturbing
revelations. There is also footage of combat and its aftermath that many
will find extremely difficult to watch. For all of his propagandizing (and
there's a lot of it in "Fahrenheit 9/11"), Moore manages to delineate a
pattern of corruption, deceit and complacency in Washington, D.C.'s
corridors of power. His trademark moments of levity, often couched in
sarcasm, show up here and there, although they become fewer in number as the
movie moves toward its sober conclusion. A depiction of perilous times, a
suggestion of how they got that way and a reflection on what it all means,
"Fahrenheit 9/11" may or may not bend the truth in the service of Moore's
message. But the points he raises are all worth investigating, his arguments
are persuasive and his accusations should be answered to the satisfaction of
the public.